Railhead
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4.6 • 10 Ratings
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
The Great Network is an ancient web of routes and gates, where sentient trains can take you anywhere in the galaxy in the blink of an eye. Zen Starling is a nobody. A petty thief from the filthy streets of Thunder City who aimlessly rides the rails of the Network. So when the mysterious stranger Raven offers Zen a chance to escape the squalor of the city and live the rest of his days in luxury, Zen can’t believe his luck. All he has to do is steal one small box from the Emperor’s train with the help of Nova, an android girl. But the Great Network is a hazardous mess of twists and turns, and that little box just might bring everything in this galaxy — and the next — to the end of the line. The highly anticipated novel from Carnegie-medal-winning author Philip Reeve, Railhead is a fast, immersive, and heart-pounding ride perfect for any sci-fi fan. Step aboard — the universe is waiting.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Reeve (the Mortal Engines series) sets this exciting science fiction adventure in a far-future universe where humans inhabit 1,000 worlds connected by K-gates, portals that allow inexpensive and virtually instantaneous travel across the galaxy. The only way to pass through a K-gate is by riding sentient and often eccentric trains, "barracuda-beautiful, dreaming their dreams of speed and distance as they race from world to world." Zen Starling is a young "railhead," a train aficionado, who supports his disabled mother through petty theft on a variety of worlds until he's approached by Nova, a strong-willed android, and Captain Malik of Railforce, the agency that polices the interstellar network. Nova wants to hire Zen to work for a mysterious revolutionary known as Raven; Malik accuses the bewildered Zen of already being so employed. A wild chase ensues across many planets, involving numerous spectacular train battles. Featuring gorgeously described alien landscapes, sharply drawn characters (some not even vaguely human), and genuinely awesome technology, this thrilling and imaginative escapade will captivate the Carnegie Medal winner's many fans. Ages 14 up.
